Thomas Chandler

Thomas Chandler

Professional Background

Educational Background

PhD Teachers College, Columbia University

MA Teachers College, Columbia University

BA Rutgers College

Scholarly Interests

Thomas Chandler, PhD, is an Associate Research Scientist at the National Center for Disaster Preparedness, The Earth Institute, Columbia University and an Adjunct Assistant Professor at Teachers College, Columbia University. He is the principal investigator of a $398,000 two year grant with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control examining the public health systems response to Hurricane Sandy in the NYC Area (2013-2015), and the principal investigator of a $150,000 two year grant with the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR), U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, on the usage of social media during disasters (2014-2016).

He focuses on the human impact of natural disasters, geographic and social networks, community preparedness, and sustainability education. He has authored several book chapters and journal articles related to these themes. His work has appeared in the Journal of Social Studies Research, the National Council for Social Studies Bulletin, and in Interactive Learning Environments. As part of a grant with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, he has been developing and evaluating curricula pertaining to disaster response and the needs of socially and geographically vulnerable populations.

Crocco, M., Marri, A., & Chandler, T. (2013). Social Studies and Sustainability: A Global Competency Framework, Schooling for Sustainable Development in Canada and the United States (edited by John Chi Kin Lee and Michel Phillips) Springer Publishing, 4: 169-182

Gaudelli, W., Chandler,T., & Odamtten, Y.(2007) A Sense Of Place, A Sense Of Home: Using Geography To Understand The Levees Catastrophe Teaching The Levees: A Curriculum for Democratic Dialogue and Civic Engagement, Chapter 7, Teachers College Press

Gaudelli, W., Chandler,T., & Odamtten, Y.(2007) Learning From History in an Effort to Understand the Tragedy of Katrina Teaching The Levees: A Curriculum for Democratic Dialogue and Civic Engagement, Chapter 7, Teachers College Press

Thomas Chandler, PhD, is an Associate Research Scientist at the National Center for Disaster Preparedness, The Earth Institute, Columbia University and an Adjunct Assistant Professor, Arts and Humanities, at Teachers College, Columbia University.

He is the Principal Investigator of a $398,000 two year grant with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control examining the public health systems response to Hurricane Sandy in the New York City area, and the Principal Investigator of a $150,000 two year grant with the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) analyzing usage of social media during Hurricane Sandy. Additionally, he is a lecturer for the United States Telecommunications Training Institute.

He focuses on the human impact of natural disasters, geographic and social networks, community preparedness, and sustainability education. He has authored several book chapters and journal articles related to these themes. His work has appeared in the Journal of Social Studies Research, the National Council for Social Studies Bulletin, and in Interactive Learning Environments. As part of a grant with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, he has been developing and evaluating curricula pertaining to disaster response and the needs of socially and geographically vulnerable populations.

He recently served on the following Dissertation Committee at Teachers College, Columbia University: Crowdsourcing for natural disaster response: An evaluation of crisis mapping the 2010 Haitian earthquake by Feighery, Annie, Ed.D., 2014

Chandler, T., Panigrahi, B., & Abramson, D. (2014). Evaluation of the Public Health System Response to Hurricane Sandy in the NY Metro Area, American Public Health Association, New Orleans, LA

Chandler, T., Panigrahi, B., & Abramson, D. (2014). Assessing the Use of Online Social Networks by Public Health Agencies during Large Scale Disasters, American Public Health Association, New Orleans, LA

Panigrahi, B., Chandler, T., & Abramson, D. (2014). Understanding the Health System Impact of the Spillover Effect After a Major Disaster, American Public Health Association, New Orleans, LA

Panigrahi, B., Chandler, T., Sury, J. & Abramson, D. (2014). Challenging structural foundations: How Well Do Buildings, Health Systems, and Public Health Pearls of Wisdom Hold Up Against Hurricanes and Other Disasters? American Public Health Association, New Orleans, LA

Chandler, T. (2014). United States Pacific Command: Lessons learned from the Philippines, The Center for Excellence in Disaster Management & Humanitarian Assistance,
West Point, NY

Chandler, T. (2013). The Continuum of Care after Disasters, Health Emergencies in Large Populations (HELP) course, in collaboration with the U.S. Red Cross, the Center for Excellence, and the University of Hawaii, Honolulu, Hi

Chandler, T., Levin, K., & Bhaskar, S (2012) Serious Games About Climate Change: An evaluation on an Online Goal Based Scenario, American Public Health Association, San Francisco, CA

Reilly, M., Chandler, T., & Sury, J. (2012). Use of High-Definition, Time-lapse Photography to Simulate the Operation of a Point of Dispensing (POD) Clinic and its Use for Training POD Managers, American Public Health Association, San Francisco, CA

Thomas Chandler, PhD, is an Associate Research Scientist at the National Center for Disaster Preparedness, The Earth Institute, Columbia University and an Adjunct Assistant Professor at Teachers College, Columbia University. He has received funding for the following research projects:

- Principal investigator of a $398,000 two year grant with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control examining the public health systems response to Hurricane Sandy in the NYC Area (2013-2015).

- Principal investigator of a $96,000 two year grant with the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR), U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, on the usage of social media during disasters (2014-2016).

- Investigator for a two-year National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) study on the effects of environmental hazards on Sandy response workers and homeowners in hard-hit areas (2013 - 2015).

Additionally, he works as an instructional designer for a CDC Preparedness and Emergency Response Learning Centers (PERLC) grant to meet preparedness and response training and education needs of the U. S. public health workforce. The PERLC provide core competency-based training to state, local, and tribal public health authorities within self-defined service areas and meet partners' unique workforce development needs in the area of public health preparedness and response; providing specialized training, education, exercise consultation and products not addressed through core competency-based curricula.